The discursive role of the label “PC”: Analyzing changes in discriminatory language with the condemnation model

Abstract

Labeling suggestions for language change as “PC” (“political correctness”) has been regarded by several prominent scholars as an effective tactic to oppose anti-discriminatory language campaigns. Expanding on that, I argue that by historicizing the label “PC” a public debate is revealed, whose results may not only harm so-called “PC” campaigns but also promote them. By combining tools from the fields of conceptual history (Begriffsgeschichte) and critical discourse analysis (CDA), the article offers a five-stage model for analyzing language change in the PC discourse, in which the label “PC” characterizes a typical stage in the conceptual development of controversial expressions. The article demonstrates the model with the expression “Autist” in Israeli public discourse and uncovers a broader meaning of the label “PC”—namely, a pending request for a change that has yet to be accepted or rejected.